What we get wrong about athleticism

Appearance vs. Performance and the Role of Body Fat

• Multiple comments echo the article’s point: elite performers in many sports (cycling, running, lifting) often look “normal,” not like fitness models.
• Extra body fat is described as helpful for recovery, hormones, sleep, mood, and for surviving long competitions; cyclists in Grand Tours reportedly start slightly heavier and “diet” during the race.
• Very low body fat is framed as anti-performance: lifters and strength athletes often bulk (higher body fat) to get stronger and only cut to look “shredded.”
• Some NFL players are said to consciously maintain a fat layer as “padding” for injury prevention.

Bodybuilding, Strength, and Aesthetic Ideals

• Strong distinction between training to look strong (bodybuilding) and training to be strong or perform (powerlifting, sport-specific training).
• Debate over whether bodybuilding muscles are “just for show”: consensus is they’re extremely strong vs. general population, but suboptimal for maximal strength, agility, or endurance in competition contexts.
• CrossFit athletes and decathletes are often nominated as closer to a “complete” or ideal athletic physique.

Hollywood, Signaling, and Cultural Body Standards

• Many criticize Hollywood’s trend of giving even non-action characters steroid-level physiques, often historically or contextually implausible.
• Extreme “movie muscles” are compared to a peacock’s tail: costly ornament that signals resources and discipline more than practical function.
• Some argue most people don’t actually find extreme bodybuilder physiques attractive; the main audience is other bodybuilders and niche subcultures.

What Counts as ‘Athleticism’? Sport-Specific vs. General

• Large subthread argues over whether an NFL quarterback is “one of the greatest athletes on earth.”
• One side: success at the most competitive position in a high-talent league implies extreme athleticism.
• Other side: compared to athletes in soccer, track, or endurance sports, such players may not be outliers in raw speed, endurance, or jumping ability.
• Broader point: different sports optimize different traits (fine motor control, continuous running, explosive power, resilience to impact), so physiques and visible “fitness” vary.

Examples of Non‑Stereotypical Elite Bodies

• Commenters list elite MMA fighters, NBA stars, rock climbers, and baseball players with soft or unimpressive-looking physiques who are nonetheless world-class.
• One pushback claims these are rare exceptions and that in genuinely “physically difficult” sports (soccer, climbing, endurance), elite bodies almost always look extremely fit.

Quantifying Athleticism and Sex Differences

• One commenter proposes numeric metrics (VO2max, run times, lifts, reps) as a clearer definition of athleticism.
• Others criticize this as too narrow (no throwing, jumping, coordination) and note that at elite levels men outperform women across distances, though there’s argument about ultramarathon records and participation effects.

Health, PEDs, and Expectations

• Several notes that peak athleticism can conflict with long-term health, especially in collision sports and extreme dieting/dehydration for aesthetics.
• Personal anecdote highlights PED use and the for-profit nature of U.S. fitness/health culture.
• Some lament that average standards are so low that modest muscle or leanness leads to immediate steroid accusations.